Half cab questions

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum. I found this website last night and I knew I found the Jeepster experts.

I have been trying to buy a jeepster pickup from a guy for about two years, and I think he finally wants to get rid of it. He is the original owner and the jeep has not been driven in about 10 years. It has been parked under a shed. I looked at the truck a few days ago. It has the v6, it is a manual shift, the floors are excellent, but there are some pinholes in the right hand rocker in front of the rear tire. The frame looked good as well. He said the rear diff had been rebuilt once, but it broke right before he parked it (D30 with lock). The truck also has the under dash A/C.

I was wondering what else should I look for before I buy it? What are the hard parts to find for a restoration? I really love these jeepsters because they are something different. Any ideas would be welcome.

 

Wow, solid floors, frame and only pin holes in the rockers, where is this thing ? Check the bottom of the bulkhead where it attaches to the floor, they're bad for rusting there because leaves and all sorts of crap likes to collect there. Tailgate and around the hinges, the rear body support across the back collects dirt and crud and rust. Nothing real major and wouldn't be a deciding factor in buying it but might give you some leverage on final price. Rear diff, well the 30 wasn't the strongest, D44 is better. Most guys wouldn't even bother trying to repair a 30. It'll have Ross steering unless the PO converted it to Saginaw. Again, Ross is not the best system out there but there are still parts available to tighten them up. Just check and double check the whole frame. Actually not a lot of parts that are hard to find, always find stuff listed on eBay. Best idea is to buy a partster or two if you have room, never have too many parts.
Oh ya, welcome aboard. You might want to check out the Jeepster Commando Club.com or the American Jeepster Club over at Off-Road.com too.

 

Thanks for the reply. I will check all of those areas you mentioned. I live in the southeast US. We do not have the salt problems like our northern friends, but it is very damp, so we do have some rust. Glad to hear most of the parts are available, either used or new.

Maybe I can get the Jeepster fairly cheap. I will keep everyone posted on what I do.

 

I finally got the truck yesterday. The guy said I could have it if I could get it running. So I could not refuse. It is in pretty good shape. Here are some links to some pictures:http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/...bucket.com/albums/q55/m38jeepman/Dsc02467.jpg

 

I finally got the truck yesterday. The guy said I could have it for free if I can get it running, so I could not refuse. The body is in really good shape. He did a spring over axle lift many years ago, but it looks pretty good. Here are some links to some pics, what do you all think about it?
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q55/m38jeepman/Dsc02469.jpg
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q55/m38jeepman/Dsc02468.jpg
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q55/m38jeepman/Dsc02467.jpg

 

Umm Jeepster.
Congrats.
Let the adventure began

Drain all the fluids and open up the diffs and inspect everything.
Then make a plan.

We're here to help.

 

Not bad - half cab, PTO winch, no rust... I'm not a big fan of spring-overs, but that can be dealt with. I'd recommend you flip it if you aren't serious about fixing it up.

A 30 should have a Powerlock, but I think the splines are wrong for a later front axle. Maybe not. I'd suggest you look for axles from a '72-75 CJ and swap those in. As PackRat mentioned, it's questionable whetehr you should bother to fix a rear 30.

What do you plan to do with it?

 

Thanks for all of the info. Sorry about the back to back posts. I was not aware of the moderator approval rules.

Yes, I got it free from the original owner. He has always had it under a shed. The only rust I can see is on the rockers right in front of the rear tires.

I want to get it running again and drive it occasionally. Eventually I want to do an original restoration, but not anytime soon.

Here are some questions.
Do you think I should put the axles back over the springs to make it handle better?
Where can I find certain engine parts? I need spark plug wires, a vacuum advance actuator, and a few other items.
What about gas tanks. Mine has a gas tank he built for it many years ago. Are originals available?

The D30 rear does have the power lock. He said that he has repaired it twice since it was new. I have an old '75 DJ-5 mail delivery jeep. Will the d44 be the same width?

If anyone else has any input feel free to post about it.

 

Looks Great And You Sure Can't Complain About The Price !!!!!!you'll Find That There's Lots Of Parts Out There You Just Have To Do A Little Searching. IT SHOULD HAVE A BUICK V-6 225 cu.in. most any local part store should have the most used parts. I'd For Sure Go For The 44 Over The 30. Sometimes The Spring Over Axles(soa) Are To Soft Because The Jeep Becomes Top Heavy,the Half Cab May Not Be That Bad Compared To A Full Top. Definitely Be On The Lookout For A Partster, Especially For A Gas Tank,you Can By Replacements ,they Are A Little Expensive. As Others Have Said; Make A Plan , Welcome And Good Look,i'm In Northeast,alabama.

 

Wholy buckets! Sometimes persistence pays off. Have fun with it

 

Congrats ! Looks great.

 

Thanks for all of the info and comments. I did a little more research last night and I found some places that sell parts. As far as the tune up parts, I think I can find them here in town.

I have never seen another jeepster for sale near where I live. So that may be a problem for finding spare parts.

The guy did take out the bucket seats and installed a small bench seat out of an old buick station wagon. Are the original seats hard to find? Is there any other jeep that had the same seats?

 

I have a original pair or front seats if your interested. They're solid black vinyl I bagged them up in big garbage bags and stored them in the attic of the garage,they were in great shape if you are interested.

 

No original gas tanks available but you can swap in a tank from a72/73 Commando or a 70/75 CJ-5 rear mounted tank which are still available. You will need the fill tube from a 72/73 Commando and the hanger mounts and reposition the mounts. Friend of mine is working on having the hanger mounts reproduced, should know more in the next month or so. We've got a template we made up around here some place for drilling the new holes too. I've got one mounted in the frame of the 71 HC I'm working on for the wife. It's wasn't anywhere near as rust free as yours or free. I'm jealous .

 

Thanks guys. I may be interested in the seats, I can let you know when. What about the seat brackets? The bench seat in mine just has one bracket on each side.

Pack Rat the gas tank information sounds good. The tank on mine may work for now. I have not looked inside the tank yet, but I hope it is not rusty. When I finally have the time to restore it I just want to know that options are available.

 

Great find and you can't beat free!

We just picked up a half cab for my son, it's a '73, so I'm looking forward to watching yours get built.

Try here for parts. He doesn't have everything but I believe he has the gas tanks.

 

I know it has been a year, but in the next day or two I hope to have it on the lift so I can work on the axles.

The spring over axle job doesn't look to be the best, so I will probably put it back to stock ride height.

I did get it running, but brakes are my problem now. I need new rubber lines on the front and rear axle. That will be addressed when I swap axles. I will keep everyone up to date on the project.

 

FREEEEE? *I wish we had a smilie for fainting*

 

Sweet Commando. I'll pay you twice what you gave for it!